The McCord Way

03/01/2024

Days 72-28, December 10-17
Part 2

Remember in a previous post we said we were treating this week like a vacation. This means our normally fairly structured, healthy diets got set aside for some culinary delights. If you go to Pleasure Point, here are our food recommendations! Start your day with a HUMONGOUS breakfast burrito from The Point Market. Angie enjoyed the Mexi Cali and Jeremy loved the Cali (he requested no potatoes). Recharge midday with an Americano from Cat & Cloud Coffee. Then end your day with a delicious slice of pizza from Pleasure Pizza. Nothing we tried was bad so we recommend the classic Pepperoni, The Santa Barbara, The Meat Combo and the Pleasure Combo. (We may have partaken in these establishments more than once). And then get a little sweet treat at The Penny Ice Creamery. We shared a triple scoop of Bitter Caramel, Tahitian Vanilla Bean and Verve Coffee topped with toasted marshmallow fluff.

Don’t forget to enjoy all the fun little shops along 41st where you can find anything ‘California’ your heart desires!

Our hearts were a little sad again when it was time to leave Lonnie & Laurie’s. They have such a beautiful home that they so generously shared with us. It was a perfect spot to stay for a few days to really appreciate the beach life of Santa Cruz. We are thankful that we now count Lonnie and Laurie as friends!

01/01/2024

Angie & Jeremy met at campground in Tennessee when she was 15 and he was 17. They got married and raised a daughter shortly after. They were both school teachers for many years and in 2011 they opened a CrossFit gym. In 2022 they sold their business and their home and in 2023 they embarked on living full time on the road in their truck camper with their dog Eleiko. Follow along as 29+ years of marriage explore the world!

30/12/2023

Days 72-28, December 10-17
Part 1
Pleasure Point week was a true pleasure! This little alcove of Santa Cruz was previously known as Soquel Point. However, that changed during the Prohibition era. The great sea cliffs made a very convenient drop spot for San Fransico bootleggers to leave their products at night for the local speakeasy owners to retrieve the next day! The subsequent parties and entertaining Flapper girls soon helped the spot earn the name “Pleasure Point” and it stuck. But these days the party atmosphere is gone and the pleasure of Pleasure Point is different. You’re more likely to see people out running, biking and walking their dogs at 9AM and at 7PM most of the stores are closed and the sidewalks are empty. Everyone here sets their clock by the surf, and you have to get up super early for the best waves!

The area is now known as one of the best surf beaches in Northern California and you’ll see boards in the water every single day, no matter the time or the weather. While surfing had been around in the area since the 1920s, surfing really boomed in the area after WWII soldiers learned to surf while stationed in Hawaii and then brought the craze back to Santa Cruz.

We treated this week as a “vacation” week and really tried to experience all the things Pleasure Point had to offer.

This week we got to try surfing and it was amazing! Shout out to Central Coast Waterman’s Association for an awesome time on the water!

We visited the original Santa Cruz Boardroom and bought skateboards! Jeremy is skating like he never stopped 30 years ago and Angie is learning.

Eleiko got many walks around Moran Lake and he loved to play each morning on Moran Lake Beach. Then we finished each day with a sunset walk on 26th Beach. Finding sea glass is fairly common on the beaches too so our collection is growing!

Stay tuned for Part 2 where we talk food!

27/12/2023

Day 71 Sunday Dec 10
We woke up this morning and prepared to move out of our “home” for the last 7 weeks. Stacy and Neal were so awesome to let us stay on their property and we enjoyed their hospitality. The comfort of having a beautiful, safe spot to return to each day was one the highlights of our Santa Cruz adventure and we feel like we really got to fully experience the mountain side of Santa Cruz.

While the orginal idea had been to pack up and leave the mountain spot and Santa Cruz entirely, something happened at the gym yesterday morning that altered those plans. At the beginning of class someone asked where we were headed and I said that we weren’t totally sure, but most likely south. Lonnie (a member at the gym) said to us, talk to me after class, we may have a spot for you.

And wow! Did they ever! Lonnie and Laurie live in the Pleasure Point area of Santa Cruz right across from the water and they invited us to spend a week in their driveway. We have become accustomed to everyone here being super nice, but we are still bowled over on a daily basis at how generous and kind everyone here is.

We arrived at their house late morning and Eleiko and Angie immediately went and sat in the green, green grass. We think Angie has missed grass as much as Eleiko.

Because of this amazing opportunity we are staying a bit longer and exploring and enjoying more of what Santa Cruz has to offer.

1 Last sunset on the mountain
2 Leaving our home base Sunday morning
3-6 Our new beach home base
7 first sunset at beach
8 TC night view

26/12/2023

Christmas Day walk on the beach.

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas from The McCords!

23/12/2023

Day 70 Saturday December 9
All good things must come to an end.

Our time at CrossFit Up is over and words cannot express how thankful we are for Ryan & Sonja, all the CrossFit Up coaches, DeWitt PT and of course, the amazing CrossFit Up community. It is crazy to think how just 4 months ago we saw a Facebook post from the DeWitts seeking coverage for their coach going on paternity leave and now we’ve been in California for almost 8 weeks!

We started our last Saturday in Santa Cruz by coaching the Saturday morning class and were shocked at what a great turnout there was. 24 people came to do a final workout with us and send us off with good vibes. It was AWESOME!!

After lots of hugs and high fives, we left the gym and headed to the Farmer’s Market since that is our usual Saturday plan. We will miss this so much! While there we got a text inviting us to come hear the DeWitt's son play in a band that afternoon at Abbot Square so we added that to our day’s itinerary.

We’re so glad we went! A few CFUp people were there and the bands really rocked it out. After enjoying the music, friends and a coffee and a donut from Cat & Cloud, we got a few more hugs and headed back up the mountain to pack for a Sunday morning departure.

Thanks for following along on our adventure!

20/12/2023

Day 69
Friday Dec 8
Having been in Santa Cruz for almost 8 weeks, we had somehow not made it down to the Santa Cruz Boardroom on 41st until today. WOW! As 90s kids who grew up riding boards (Jeremy) or just wearing all the cool skater brands (Angie), this was super cool. This location is the original Santa Cruz Skateboard shop and the history and nostalgia of the place is huge. So many amazing boards called to both of us. While we refrained from any purchases on this day, spoiler alert, we did go back and succumb to the siren's song! Not a bad mode of transportation when you don’t want to drive the truck camper around!

16/12/2023

Day 68 Thurs Dec 7
Meeting new people and making new friends is a huge part of this journey. We mentioned that we might be interested in spending some time in Baja California and were told to chat with Monica at the gym as she and her husband had been multiple times in their camper van.

When I asked for her advice, she immediately invited us over to her home to chat about Baja. When we arrived, she and her husband James fed us some delicious, fish tacos made with fish James had just caught. (You know, in the big ocean that’s like right here in everyone’s backyards lol!) Hands down the best fish taco we’ve probably ever had!

Over tacos and mini ice cream cones, they shared their maps, itinerary and must do things in Baja California. They regaled us with tales of crossing the border, meeting friendly and helpful locals, and a specifically hilarious story about accidentally smuggling a grapefruit across the border and being put on “the list”.

Another dinner guest told a funny story of being shaken down for a few bucks by the Policia for a minor traffic violation. But hey, they were three young dudes in a van with surfboards on top. Prime pickings right?

They gifted us with maps of the Baja as we left and while I (Angie) was checking out their bookshelf on the way out the door, we started discussing our favorite authors. They enjoy Lee Child and the Jack Reacher series and since I had never read any of his work, they grabbed one off the shelf, handed it to me and told me it would be my first one.

Such amazing and kind people to share their knowledge, their food and their love of reading. We are so blessed to be able to meet and connect with everyone we have met so far on this journey.

Of course, being a part of CrossFit gave us access to an instant community here, but no matter where we go, we are going to be open to sharing our stories with others and learning their stories as well.

Sidenote: Let us know who your favorite authors are!

14/12/2023

Succulent lovers are at home here on the beach at Santa Cruz. Due to the mild weather throughout the year, experiencing a warm-summer Mediterranean climate characterized by mild, wet winters and warm, mostly dry summers, these beautiful dry weather plants thrive!

These are a few we have seen around town.

13/12/2023

Keep acting like kids…

13/12/2023

Day 53 Wednesday Nov 22
We have yet to find a more dog friendly place than Santa Cruz. There are multiple walking trails and beaches and many are off leash. Delaveaga trail is centrally located in Santa Cruz and is a great little escape for a mid day walk.

We took Eleiko many times because the trail is nice and soft and we could leave the gym, walk him a good couple of miles and get back before our next class.

And as usual in this area, there are lots of wonderful redwoods! One had a beautiful painted rock hidden in it!

Thanks for following along on our adventure!

12/12/2023

09/12/2023

We’ve been spoiled by all the fruit trees in our backyard here in Santa Cruz! Lemons, avocados, persimmons, oranges and apples.

09/12/2023

Kirk Creek Campground, Big Sur, California
Sunset October 2023

06/12/2023

Day 43
Sunday, November 12, 2023

29 years ago on this day we said “I do” and spent our wedding night at the Executive Inn in Paducah KY. This year we woke up 2100 miles away in Wawona Campground in Yosemite National Park. Crazy how time can fly!

We made coffee this morning in our percolator and then bundled up to take Eleiko for a long walk around the campground. Once that was completed we readied our rig to leave and headed up to Glacier Point. Glacier Point is an overlook in the park that allows you to see the Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the vast stretch of mountains contained and around Yosemite.

The road to Glacier Point closes down for the winter in October or November so we were thankful it was still open. Light snow covered the ground as we made our way up and the road would in fact be closed just two days later due to weather. Glad we got in when we did!

We loved hanging out at Glacier Point as it really allows you to understand the vastness of Yosemite and helps you orient yourself to the park’s layout. For future visitors, we would recommend coming here first!

As we were coming back down the road and heading back to Yosemite Valley, we came upon an older gentleman who had hit some debris on the road (likely cinder to keep the road clear from snow) and had laid his motorcycle over. Thankfully, he was wearing full protective gear and though a little shaken up, he and his motorcycle were fine. Jeremy and another man that had stopped helped him get his motorcycle back upright and back on the road.

When we returned to the Valley we hiked over to the Bridalveil Fall and then stood in the El Capitan Viewing Meadow to watch the climbers ascend El Capitan. We had to use our binoculars as the climbers were basically invisible to the naked eye. If you have not watched “Free Solo” before, I highly recommend it. It is the story of Alex Honnold and his monumental climb up El Capitan by himself with no safety ropes whatsoever, hence the term “free solo”.

Hundreds of people attempt to climb El Capitan each year with guides and safety ropes, and even then, people fail and fall each year. The park averages 2.5 climbing deaths per year. Seeing El Capitan in person and truly understanding its magnitude made Alex’s climb an unbelievable feat of athleticism and bravery!
So far, Yosemite has been one of our favorite national parks and we hated to leave. We didn’t make it to the Hetch Hetchy, Hogdon Meadow or the Tuolumne Meadows areas of the park so we will definetly need to plan a return trip.

On the way back to Santa Cruz we stopped at a little health food store that Rita had recommended in Mariposa called High Country Health Food. We loved this cute little store & cafe where we stocked up on road trip snacks and unique health foods items that are hard to come by anywere else.

02/12/2023

Day 42
Saturday, November 11

On our first night in Yosemite, our on board furnace decided not to work and it was not a good time for that to happen because it gets COLD at night in Yosemite. Thankfully, the camper is small and heats quickly and Jeremy had brought a propane heater that we used along with a small electric heater we could run on our generator. For as small of a footprint that we have, we have all the necessities to keep us comfy!

This campground had three loops; A, B and C. C was already closed for the winter and the loop we stayed in, B, would be closing the following weekend. The bathroom in B was closed already as were all the water spigots, but the bathroom in A was still open and had water. With our wet bath, we don’t need a bath house, but we use them when they are available. No showers in these bathrooms, but they did have flush toilets and sinks.

Eleiko’s water bowl was frozen over when we woke in the morning and our morning walk with him was quite invigorating in the cold mountain air. We walked him over to loop C, and since it was closed, there was no one around and he could snoop to his heart’s content.

While walking we planned our day. We decided to go ahead and pay for another night at the campground and then go explore the Mariposa Grove.

The Mariposa Grove is home to over 500 mature Giant Sequoias. The largest, the Grizzly, is 209 feet and has a base diameter of 27.6 feet. A neighbor, The Tunnel Tree, soars to 231 feet, but is a bit smaller at the base at only 27.5 feet.

Dogs are not allowed in the Mariposa Grove, so our plan was for Jeremy to hike up to the grove (which was about a 2 mile hike) while Eleiko and I walked up the road and we’d meet at the Grove. We’d then take turns exploring the Grove while one stayed with Eleiko. Everything about Yosemite states dogs are not allowed on trails, but are allowed on paved roads so this plan would work perfectly, right?

Of course not! The road up to the Mariposa Grove is only open to the park shuttle buses, not personal vehicles. And because of that, a park attendant told me pedestrians and dogs aren’t allowed on it. If you’ve been following along on our journey, you know that we have learned that exploring national parks is harder with a dog!

As I was walking Eleiko around the parking lot, a very kind bus driver told me a sneaky way to go up the trail with a dog, lol, but since we try to be good, responsible dog owners we opted to not flaunt the rules.

I settled onto the back step of the camper with a book and a snack with Eleiko laying at my feet. Since few people can resist his charms, we got to meet and chat with a lot of nice people walking around the park.

We also learned today that we need to add some walkie-talkies to our arsenal so that we can communicate when there is no cell service and we are apart!

We finished the day by browsing the Wawona Hotel General Store and taking the Wawona Meadow Loop. It is a gentle, flat trail around the meadow that is about 3 miles. It gave Eleiko a nice opportunity to stretch his legs and smell some new smells.

Tomorrow would be our last day in Yosemite and we had saved the best for last.

30/11/2023

El Capitan and “El Eiko”

27/11/2023

Day 41
Friday, November 10

We left McCabe Flat Campground excited to enter Yosemite National Park for the weekend! Yosemite was the third national park designated in the US and was established Oct 1, 1890. It is known for the peaceful Yosemite Valley, the iconic rock wall, El Capitan, the giant sequoia trees in Mariposa Grove and the huge granite mountain called Half Dome.

The park is open 24/7, 365 days a year, but we wanted to get there early to try to beat the crowds. We came in on Hwy 140 and once we made it through the entry gate (YAY National Park Annual Pass!), we were greeted with the breathtaking El Capitan on our left and Bridalveil Falls on our right. Since the waterfalls are extremely voluminous in the spring and almost dry up in the summer, we were excited to see they were still running.

Starting our visit in Yosemite Valley seemed the best way to go, so we drove to the valley and stopped at the visitor center. There we learned a bit about Yosemite and saw many people in line for climbing permits. (More about that later!)

One thing that absolutely fascinated me was that Yosemite has a U.S. Federal Courthouse in the park that was established in 1966. Since Yosemite is very far removed from any other town with a federal courthouse and is federal land (thus making any crimes committed in its borders a federal offense), it made sense to have a courthouse in the park to take care of any problems that might arise from cranky park workers getting into a brawl or park guests that might have imbibed too much and getting busted with a BUI (Bicycling Under the Influence).

My favorite story was the park guest getting charged with “destruction of park resources” when she tied her horse to a tree and the horse proceeded to chew the bark. Oops!

Since most campsites in Yosemite are reserved the moment they become available (which is 6 months in advance!), we knew we would be looking for a spot in one of the two FCFS (First Come First Serve) Campgrounds in Yosemite. Wawana Campground is about 50 minutes from Yosemite Valley to the south and Hogdon Meadow is also about 50 minutes away to the northwest. Wawana was closest to Glacier Point and the Mariposa Grove, so we set the GPS to take us there.
We hoped Lady Luck was on our side again because the campground looked full. Empty looking sites had tags showing they had been paid for and the occupants were out exploring and would be back. Checkout was at noon and it was 11:30 and as we drove around, sure enough, we rolled in behind a couple that was getting ready to leave their campsite. We chatted with them to confirm that they were in fact leaving and 10 minutes later we had our spot!

Using modern technology, we scanned a QR code that linked to Recreation. gov, paid our $26 dollars and set up camp and relaxed the rest of the day by the gurgling river. We made plans to explore the big sequoia trees of Mariposa Grove the next day.

24/11/2023

Happy Thanksgiving from the McCords!

23/11/2023

Day 40
Thursday, November 9

Headed to Yosemite

For our 29th Anniversary we took a long weekend to visit Yosemite National Park. The weather there this time of year made us question if it was a good decision to go, but members of CrossFit Up assured us that we would be fine. Snow chain warnings and road closures are common as fall fades into winter, but we set off on Thursday morning with high hopes for beautiful weather and easy travel.

Armed with printed directions for the best route to Yosemite (thanks Rita!), we made our way past the strawberry fields of Watsonville. The next time you eat a Driscoll brand strawberry, it might have been grown in these fields!

The San Luis Reservoir was a beautiful body of water we saw before we stopped in the town of Los Banos. The Wal-Mart in Los Banos is where we stocked up on groceries for our trip and then we were on our way to Merced. Rita had suggested we stop at Merced National Wildlife Refuge, but we decided to skip it this time due to wanting to get camp set up before dark.

After Merced we made it to Mariposa and then passed through the town of Midpines. Slightly past Midpines was the Merced River Recreation Management Area that is BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land where we planned to camp for our first night of this trip.

McCabe Flat Campground was two miles off the main road and getting there started with a sharp left turn off the highway that had us asking, “is this really a road?” as it seemed very narrow. 100 meters down the road came another sharp turn, this one leading across a one lane suspension bridge that crossed the Merced River.

In our travels we have learned that standard clearance height on public roads is 13’6” and anything shorter must be marked. The guy wires on this bridge weren’t marked, but they looked short, so to be safe Angie climbed up on the ladder of the camper to ensure clearance as we entered the bridge. You definitely couldn’t take a super tall or long trailer to this area!

All was well and we were rewarded for our efforts as we drove to the campground that was right on the river. We paid our $10 at the self service payment drop, made camp and then explored the area. Since it was late afternoon and the sun had dropped quickly behind the mountain, we didn’t stray too far from the campsite. Eleiko had a wonderful time running up and down the road, jumping in the river and snooping around all the boulders and bushes. No one else appeared to be in the campground and it was a very quiet night.

Tomorrow we would head into Yosemite!

19/11/2023

Day 36, Saturday, Nov 5

Farmers markets are abundant in Santa Cruz and the surrounding area so fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and baked goods are always available. We’ve gotten into the routine of going to the Farmers Market at Cabrillo College every Saturday, but wanted to try the one located at Live Oak on Sunday mornings. It was a bit smaller than Cabrillo, but still had much to offer!

Multiple fresh prepared food vendors were there and there was live music so you could eat and enjoy the atmosphere as well as have a delicious cup of coffee. I choses to try the french pizza from one of the vendors and even though I think it was meant to be heated up, I ate it cold and it was amazing!

This particular farmers market has a really awesome program where people can use their EBT benefits to purchase fresh items at the market. I don’t know if this is common practice, but what really sets this market apart is that they offer a matching program where people can get an additional $10 worth of Market Match tokens as a match to their EBT benefits. So if they spend $20 of EBT benefits, they get an additional $10 to spend at the market. How cool is that?

After the market we went to Natural Bridges State Park as we had been told it was Monarch Butterfly season.

The Monarch Grove in Natural Bridges contains eucalyptus trees which not only smell nice, they have been declared a natural preserve and provide a winter habitat for monarch butterflies. They arrive in mid October and depart in early January and the preserve will welcome up to 8000 butterflies each season.

It wasn’t peak viewing time just yet as it was still early in the season, but the sky was definitely alive with activity of the fluttering creatures. At the height of winter activity visitors can see large hanging clusters of butterflies adorning the eucalyptus trees like holiday decor.

As it was a Sunday, the park was very busy and many people were enjoying the beach, picnicking and walking the butterfly paths. We might try to go again on a weekday when it isn’t so crowded.

15/11/2023

What are your favorite games for two people? We’re both getting pretty good at Gin Rummy

13/11/2023

Day 34 Nov 3 Friday
Fridays are our days off and since this was going to be the last 80 degree day for the season we decided to spend it at the beach.

We went to Hidden Beach as it was a highly recommended dog friendly beach for walking. Eleiko loved it!

Starting at Hidden Beach, we walked south over 2 miles down the beach. That was just a drop in the bucket as this beach went on even further! It was not very full at all with lots of happy pups playing in the surf!

As a tribute to the last really warm day, Jeremy and I got in the water! (If you didn’t know, the Pacific isn’t exactly warm). It was invigorating!

The ducks were very entertaining as they bobbed around on the waves. It became very clear where the expression “duck dive” came from as they dove under the crashing waves! Watching them made us giggle and was better viewing than most YouTube videos.

There were very few shells on the beach, but lots of little crab carcasses. Some appeared to be horseshoe crabs. We were very surprised Eleiko didn’t try to eat them!

At the end of the day we were rested up and sun kissed. We’ll definitely come back to this beach.

06/11/2023

Our handy percolator doing double duty of making coffee and warming up the camper at La Sal National Forest in Moab, Utah.

We truly enjoy our coffee at Camp McCord (Angie is full octane and Jeremy is decaff), but it doesn’t have to be fancy. When we set off on this journey we were fully prepared to our have our daily cup(s) no matter where we were. We have our stainless steel percolator for boondocking days and our Mr Coffee for when we have electric. We even have instant in case of emergency!

Are you a coffee person? What’s your favorite way to brew?

04/11/2023

Day 27 Friday, 10/27/23

On this day we visited The Forest Of Nisene Marks State Park for a nice long hike. Getting there was super easy as it was only about 5 miles from where we are staying and on the way there we chatted about whether or not we were going to pull the trigger on getting a year long California State Park pass.

It’s $195 for a year pass versus paying $8-$10 for day passes each time we go. There are two state parks within five miles of where we are staying plus jillions more nearby.

When we got to the gate, the gate keeper was super nice and explained all our pass options. They have a year pass for just the northern state parks that we were not aware of that is $125. He also gave us an insider tip that if you purchase at the first of the month you really get 13 months instead of 12 since it expires on the last day of the month you purchased. So if we purchased a year pass today, the 27th, it would expire 10/31/24. But if we waited and purchased November 1, it wouldn’t expire until 11/30/24.

As we chatted about which route to go for a pass today, he said “give me just a minute” and slipped back into the gatehouse. He came out 2 minutes later with a complimentary VIP day pass and told us to think it over and enjoy our day. We were so surprised at his kindness. We didn’t catch his name, but sir, you made our day!

About half the trails are dog friendly in this park, with the ones on the upper end being no dog and the lower end being dogs allowed. We drove as far up as the road went and parked. Jeremy took the hiking trail that dogs weren’t allowed on and Eleiko and I took the fire road. We met up about a half mile down and then hopped on a dog allowed trail together.

We got in about 6 miles of beautiful redwood forest trails on this day. There was a creek going through the middle that Eleiko enjoyed wading in and drinking. The trail was very soft dirt and not too technical. Great for a recovery hike that is easy on the body and good for the mind.

02/11/2023

Day 26 Thursday 10/26/23

Everyone here has been so nice and are always offering suggestions of great places to see, beaches to visit and trails to hike. I have a notes app page on my phone that is getting very large with places! One area that was mentioned many times was Sunny Cove. It’s a cute little beach that dogs are allowed on.

Thursday after work we went down to the beach and let Eleiko play in the surf. He snooped and ran and seemed to be very happy. We tried to dissuade him from eating the barnacles attached to the seawalls, but he persisted. Lol, I guess they were a crunchy, tasty snack.

There was a man there on the beach with his dog and they were having a grand old time as well. The man was partaking in some California herb, dancing to some good tunes on his boombox and rocking an amazing vintage Grateful Dead shirt. He was for sure living his best life.

30/10/2023

A few months before we left Tuckasee (Tennessee/Kentucky LOL) we were at a yardsale and came across a 90s era sun wall hanging. I’m pretty sure I had had the exact same one before and think it came from Home Interiors. I looked at it and Jeremy looked at it and we both agreed we needed it for the camper! It had been painted to look like aged copper, kind of green-ish, and would look just fine with the decor we were working on. But Jeremy had a better idea and suggested that we take it to our daughter on our upcoming visit so that she could paint it special for us!

We left it with her in early September and when we came back through in early October she had it finished. I love it! The colors she chose match our seat cushions perfectly! I used a 3M Command hook to hang it up and just take it down on traveling days. When I was little my mom, both my grandmoms and my great aunt used to sing “Your Are My Sunshine” to me. It always made me feel special and loved so of course I sang it to Brooke when she was little. It makes us smile that the sun she painted will hang in our little camper and remind us of all the love in our family.